


I Can't Escape the Way I Love You

by StarseekerWolf



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Bounty Hunters, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Sassy Reader, The Arcana AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-07-31 11:15:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20114203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarseekerWolf/pseuds/StarseekerWolf
Summary: Y/N has been tasked with finding Loki, who is suspected of killing his father, Odin. Using a deck of tarot cards that were once supposedly enchanted by a god, she tracks him down, but when she finds him, she realizes that there are things she hasn't been told. The Arcana are slowly coming into the normal world, and they don't have good intentions.*****The Marvel universe with a slight twist on the game The Arcana (you don't have to know the game to read). Loki/Female Reader





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All of the Marvel stuff belongs to Marvel, and all of The Arcana stuff is property of Nix Hydra. Tarot card information was pulled from The Arcana Wiki

Six weeks ago, I was tasked with finding Loki Laufeyson, god of mischief, and apprehend him for the murder of Odin, his father. Today, I am close to completing my mission.

My name is Y/F/N Y/L/N, and I am a huntress. That is to say, I hunt people, and I am very, very good at it.

Some people are good at reading prints in muddy ground. Some people employ magical items to track their target's location. I use tarot cards.

It's not any old deck, though. It's been passed through my family for generations, and supposedly, it was enchanted by a god long ago so that it would always give answers to whatever it was asked. Perhaps not in words, but in a different way.

I kneel on the floor of my tent, spreading the deck out before me. Closing my eyes, I hover my hands over the cards, feeling the magic wash over me. Allowing instinct to guide me, I pull three cards from the deck.

The Sun upright, as well as the Magician and the Hierophant ... both reversed.

That ... doesn't make sense. So success is near, which means I'm going in the right direction, but I've been lied to and should question all that I believe in?

Shaking my head, I gather the deck together and tuck it back into my bag. Maybe it's a bit faulty. There's no way that's the message I was meant to receive.

"I'm coming after you, Loki," I mutter under my breath, starting to pack up camp in preparation for more travel. "You won't be running much longer."

*****

When I settle in for the night, I know I'm close. There's a slight buzz in my bones, something that only comes from being near my target.

I wonder if he knows that I am hunting him. I wonder if he can tell that all this hiding is about to be for nothing.

The next morning, I wake with adrenaline racing through my blood. I pack up camp faster than I ever have before and do a quick reading that only confirms my suspicions: I am going to find him today.

I can't help but be curious as to what he's like. Of course, I don't know how interesting a murderer could possibly be. He no doubt has a checkered past, mixed with some sort of dark childhood that drove him to do what he did.

Not that it concerns me. My objective is to apprehend him, not assess his mental state.

I know I am very near when I smell the bodies. Death has a very distinct scent, and as I inhale, it is carried to me on the wind.

I wrinkle my nose, forging on in determination. So the rumors must be true: Loki Laufeyson really is a cold blooded killer. Go figure.

I come across the first corpse a few minutes later. It's a middle aged woman whose neck is broken. Sneering, I continue, only to find another body a minute later.

_A trail._ One that I'll gladly follow, if it means I'll reach him sooner.

It doesn't take long for me to hear the screaming. At that point, I break into a run, my feet skimming the ground with light, nimble steps so as not to alert him to my presence. Movement catches the corner of my eye, and I head for it, slowing my pace as I draw closer.

Peering through the window, I see a tall figure lift a thrashing man into the air. The man's face is turning red, and he is starting to struggle less and less.

Smashing the glass, I leap in through the window, summoning magic to my fingertips as I recover from my tuck and roll. "Unhand him!" I snarl, dropping into a defensive position.

To my alarm though, the figure swings around, and it is most definitely not Loki. It's not even a person; it's the persona of the Devi Arcana, and it's glowing red eyes pierce me with a glare as I step back in shock.

A blur of green flashes at the edge of my vision, and I whirl as a person slams into the Devil, metal flashing as daggers appear in his hand and he slashes the Arcana's arm.

Now this ... _this_ is Loki Laufeyson.

The god of mischief dances backwards as the Devil throws the man aside and swipes at him. He's nimble, I'll give him that, but he won't last long against an Arcana.

Still, this can't possibly be the Devil's full, solid form. Thinking quickly, I mutter a banishing spell and slash my sword outward. It cuts the Devil at the waist, and red light spills from the wound, momentarily blinding me. He screeches in pain and anger, then explodes into dust and nothingness, banished back to his realm ... for now.

I drop to my knees, dizzy and out of breath from exerting so much magic, while Loki regards me warily from a distance, his own sides heaving as well. "Who the hell are you?" he demands.

I ignore him, crawling to the man on the ground. I feel at his neck for a pulse, waiting for a few seconds before sighing sadly. He's dead.

Pushing past the nausea, I shove away from the ground and drag myself to my feet, glaring at Loki angrily. "My name is Y/N," I snap. "I'm here to capture you for the murder of Odin Borson. It's best if you don't struggle."

He bursts out laughing, but it turns into a surprised choke as I snare him with a binding spell. Still, his will is strong, even for me, and it only takes him a few seconds to snap free of the imaginary restraints.

"You would think to hold a god?" he snarls, straightening up dauntingly. "Who sent you?"

My glare intensifies, even as my heart rate quickens. I can't allow this to disrupt my mission, not when I've come this far. "I'm not afraid of you," I spit, gazing at him defiantly.

His responding chuckle is dark. "Then that makes you an idiot," he says, advancing on me with his daggers raised. 

Even though I know this is a battle I likely won't win, I have to hold out for as long as possible. I send a quick distress signal to my mentor, Asra, then ready my magic and unleash it at him with full force.

Our fight is not as short lived as I think he is expecting. Though young, I am formidable, and my magic is strong. We whirl about each other in a dance of steel and spells, each trying to get in a hit without being struck down. I manage to draw a cut along one of his elegant cheekbones, but this is followed by him cutting my upper arm, enough to draw blood.

With my life force leeching out of me, there's no way I would've lasted long. Within a span of seconds, he overpowers me and slams me against the wall, dagger to my throat.

"You will tell me who sent you," he purrs, in a silky voice no doubt meant to seduce and persuade, "or I will slit your throat."

I raised my eyebrows. "Is that so? Are you sure you want to do that?"

His already thin lips flatten into an even thinner line. "Why wouldn't I? You mean nothing to me."

"No, but my knowledge might," I retort. "I'm willing to bet the Devil is what killed all those people, hmm? I bet you've been tracking it for days, even as I've been tracking you."

I can see him starting to cave against his better judgement. "The Devil?" he questions. "Is that what that monster is?"

I smirk, knowing I have him. "I'll tell you more ... if you let go and have a civil conversation with me."

Conflict flickers in his eyes, but he eventually rips himself away with a growl. "Fine. But don't expect me to believe anything you say."

"Wouldn't expect anything less," I mutter, pushing off the wall. I inspect the gash on my shoulder. It isn't too deep, and it looks like a clean cut. Closing my eyes, I murmur a healing incantation, my skin itching as it seals itself back together.

When I open my eyes, I see Loki staring at me with apprehension. "What?" I challenge him. "Never seen another person with magic before?"

He seems to shake himself. "No, I've seen other people with magic," he retorts. "Yours just isn't ... natural."

"Oh, and yours is?"

"Yes." He slides gracefully to the ground, arranging himself in a comfortable sitting position.

I sit as well, glaring. "My magic is just as natural as yours," I snap. "It just happens to be different. And if you think something is unnatural simply because it's different, then you're more human than I thought."

His eyes flare with light, and his voice booms as he growls, "I'll show you just how wrong you are."

But I just roll my eyes, which seems to surprise him. "Save it for the real enemies, asshole," I sneer. "You're going to need that strength for whatever the hell is going on."

He lets go of his act, though his expression is still stormy. "Very well. Now tell me all you know."

I explain the Arcana to him. It isn't easy to tell these things to someone who has no idea what they are, but I do my best. After all, a mild understanding of the situation is better than no understanding at all.

"So these ... Arcana," he says. "They have started to come into Midgard?"

"Apparently so," I sigh. "Or at least, the Devil is. I don't know about the rest." I purse my lips. "I _could_ find out ... If you're willing to witness my deeply, alarmingly unnatural magic."

He scowls, and I chuckle to myself, twisting around to pull the deck out of my bag. I brush debris out of the way and smooth the cards out on the cracked concrete, letting my eyes close.

I've only ever done this in Asra's presence before; Loki's presence makes it more difficult to find my magic and link it to the cards. But I eventually manage to block out his judgmental stare and inhale slowly through my nose, exhaling from my lips and allowing my fingers to roam where they need to.

When I open my eyes, three cards have been pulled out from the deck. Ignoring Loki's bewildered look, I flip them over.

"The Fool, reversed. Beware of acting rashly. Consider your actions carefully and tread lightly in the dark."

"Wheel of Fortune, reversed. Forces outside of your control may conspire to bring you down. This is the way of the world; embrace it." I grimace. "Well, I guess that answers that question. There's definitely more than one of them."

"Yes, yes," Loki says impatiently. "What is the third card?"

Rolling my eyes, I flip it over, expecting to see a sign of encouragement or guidance or something like that. But it's not - it's The Lovers, upright.

I stare at the card for a moment, blinking rapidly to make sure I'm seeing it correctly. A new partnership may be in my future? That's ... That can't be right, _especially_ not if it means Loki. Any sort of partnership with him is too horrible to even think about.

"Well?" he demands, a hint of princely whine entering his voice. "What does it say?"

"I - " There is no way in hell I'm telling him what it says; he'd laugh his ass off. "It's nothing. It must be a mistake." I sweep the cards together and shove them back in my bag before he can protest. Going by the shrewd, calculating look on his face, I can tell he doesn't believe me, but that's alright. As long as he doesn't think we could ever ...

I clear my throat. "Anyway, I need to stock up on supplies. Where is the nearest city?"

"Destroyed, if you'll believe it," Loki sniffed. "I'm afraid that creature made it there before I did."

I sigh, thinking of all the innocent people who never even stood a chance. "Well, that's just wonderful. Where is the _next_ nearest city?"

"You know, it's not really any of my concern. You can starve, for all I care."

"Of course it's your concern." I laugh, which causes annoyance to flicker over his features. "If anything happens to me, your chance at beating the Arcana is compromised."

"Don't be ridiculous," he sneers. "I am a god. I can be bested by no being, neither person nor beast."

Raising my eyebrows, I retort, "Tell me, could you have banished the Devil like I did? Do you even know what the rest of the Arcana look like? Do you have any idea what you are dealing with?"

"I'm sure I could find out," he snarks, but I can see that his composure is faltering. Even if he won't admit it, he knows I'm right. I may be dispensable, but my knowledge isn't.

"Fine," he snaps at last. "So we need each other." A rush of euphoria goes through me. A god just admitted that he _needs_ me. It's a shallow victory, but a victory nonetheless.

His next words ruin it, though. "Let's be clear, though. We are not friends. We are not allies. We are not even partners. We are two people with a common goal: to banish this evil."

I try not to let that sting. "So this is the silver tongue I've heard so much about," I say sarcastically. "Just one question, though. Are you not evil as well?"

Loki laughs darkly. "Oh, I am, darling, don't get me wrong. But there is well timed evil with a purpose, and there is evil with no direction or cause. I hate to see lives wasted on idiotic foolery."

"Fair enough." I toss my hair out of my face. "Anyway, my camp is only a mile or so in the other direction. We should head back if we want to beat the sunset - "

"What exactly are you talking about?" he interrupts. "You think I want to spend any more time with you than necessary?"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," I mutter. "Lest you forget, I was sent here to capture you, and I fully intend to do so as soon as we deal with this problem, but for now, it'll be safer if we stick together. If the Devil manages to come back, he won't be too happy with you, and unless you can replicate my magic right now, you won't have any sort of defense against him."

Loki rolls his eyes, but his petty distaste is no match for my logical thinking. With an over-exaggerated sigh that makes him sound like a high school drama queen, he grumbles his agreement and gets to his feet, gesturing for me to lead the way.

I get to my feet as well, then hesitate. "We should bury him," I say quietly, gesturing to the dead man. "It doesn't feel right to just leave him here."

The trickster god snorts. "If I buried every dead person I met, I'd have no time to do the killing."

And maybe it's my exhaustion or the fact that I'm fed up with his personality, but I shoot a harsh glare at him and growl, "I don't care what kind of a monster you are. You can have the basic decency to put one person to rest. And if you won't help me, then I'll do it myself."

He stares at me for a long moment, and I think he's about to slap me or worse, but eventually, he just nods. "Alright. I'll carry the body."

I don't say a word, surprise rendering me speechless, but I follow him as he hoists the man over his shoulder and heads out of the building.

We walk a small distance away to a spot where the ground is clear and relatively flat. He turns to me. "How do you want to do this?" he asks.

Wordlessly, I close my eyes and crouch down, skimming my fingers over the dirt. I let my magic flow into the earth, asking for it to be pliable and let me mold it.

There's a rumble, and the ground shakes. I stumble but quickly right myself, stepping away as a chunk of dirt separates from the rest of the earth and lifts into the air, hovering a safe distance above our heads.

I hold it there with my magic and glance at Loki. He steps forward and deposits the man's body into the makeshift grave, albeit none too gently. Once he's out of the way, I close my hand into a fist, crushing the packed dirt into slightly loose earth and letting it fall freely.

As we walk away, back towards my camp, I can't help but wonder who he was. There was no one else in the house, but that doesn't mean he didn't have a family. A wife, children, friends, people who cared about him.

Or he could've been an absolute monster. I don't know which would help me sleep better tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

Thankfully, Loki walks just as fast as I do; we make quick time back to camp, finally leaving the stench of death behind us. That doesn't take away the memories, of course, but it's something.

However, there is a bit of a dilemma, which I realize when we get there: there's only one tent, and it's not a particularly big one.

"I, uh ... " I stand there stupidly, not quite knowing what to say.

"I'll sleep outside," Loki interjects, immediately perceiving the issue.

When I raise one eyebrow, he rolls his eyes. "Whatever you may think of me, I am still a gentleman," he says. "Also, I have no wish to be any closer to you than need be."

_Of_ course. I don't know what I was expecting. Still ... he didn't owe me an explanation, but he gave one anyway.

I'm not quite sure what to make of all this. I'm working with my target, who just so happens to be Loki, to vanquish the evil Arcana that have, against all odds, made their way out of their respective dimensions ... I don't think it has all set in quite yet.

"Well, let's eat," I say gruffly. "You _do_ need to eat, right."

He rolls his eyes again. "Yes, but not nearly as often as you. I can manage for tonight." He scans the surrounding area for a moment. "While you consume your sustenance, I will gather firewood. We might as well stay warm tonight."

"I don't think that's a good idea," I object. At his annoyed glance, I explain, "Smoke might alert enemies of our whereabouts. There are 20 other Arcana, and I don't know how many of them are friendly."

"So we are to freeze?" he sniffs.

"Concerned for your bony ass, are you? No need. I can make a fire that won't emit smoke."

Ignoring his grumbling, I duck into my tent and retrieve my stash of food. It's not much; a few salted strips of meat and a canister half full of soup is all that's left. I murmur a quick spell and blow gently over the canister, breathing warmth back into it. I settle down at the entrance of the tent, using a spoon to eat.

It was relatively flavorless to begin with, but using some of the spices from me and Asra's shop/home, I made it a bit more appealing. It reminds me of home and familiarity and the people I love, and suddenly, I almost want to cry.

But Loki would probably laugh and call me a child, so I pull my tears back into my heart and keep eating.

I save two strips of meat in case we can't restock by tomorrow, then spin my fingers in a spiral and summon the fire I promised. It crackles with pleasant warmth, but does not give off smoke.

"It'll burn for as long as I'm awake," I say. "I'll take the first watch."

"You expect me to feel comfortable letting my guard down with you watching over me like an everyday creep?" Loki sneers. "How am I to know you won't murder me in my sleep?"

"By all means, stay awake if you're that paranoid. Although I was under the impression you didn't want to spend any more time in my presence than necessary."

Curling his lip, he unclasps his cloak and spreads it out on the ground as a makeshift blanket. He pointedly rolls on his side to put his back to me, and I can't help but chuckle a bit. So it's one extreme or the other with him, is it? He'll either show his blatant distrust of me, or, when called out on it, make a point of putting his back to me as a sign of good faith.

A moody one, this is. It's just as well we have a temporary truce. I don't know how I would've dealt with taking him into custody. If this is how annoying he is when we're on mildly hostile terms, I can't even imagine how insufferable he would be if we were actual enemies.

I settle down against the edge of the tent, curling my knees up to my chest. In the silence of the growing darkness, I'm left alone with my thoughts, and they aren't kind ones.

I don't know what it means, that the Arcana are coming into this world. I'm scared; I'd be stupid if I wasn't. These beings are more powerful than anything I've ever known, and I seem to be one of the few who even know about them.

They're unpredictable, and that's what worries me the most. I'm used to having a set goal: a target to catch, information to gather, territory to scout. I always put together a distinct plan, and I stick to it unless something goes horribly awry.

But this ... This is something I never would've expected, and because of that, I have no idea how to prepare for what's to come.

As sad as it is, though, that Loki is my only advantage, I'm glad I'm not in this alone.

I wake to a gentle shake of my shoulder, and I jolt to attention, immediately drawing magic to my palms.

"Relax!" Loki snaps. "It's just me. You fell asleep a few hours ago. I graciously decided to let you have your rest."

Rolling my eyes, I comb my fingers through my hair, annoyed at myself for letting my guard down. I should've stayed alert. "I assume that means you never went to sleep, hmm?"

"I find that awareness makes me a far less approachable enemy," he smirks, taking a jab at me. "Anyway, shall we get going? We have substantial ground to cover if we want to reach a town today."

"There's no way we're _that_ in the middle of nowhere," I argue, my sentence broken by a brief yawn. "How far are we talking here?"

He squints at the low hanging sun, perhaps trying to judge the distance. "A three or four hours' walk, maybe," he says at last. "So as I said, shall we get going?"

Muttering obscenities under my breath, I drag myself to my feet and start disassembling the tent, my fingers moving nimbly to unwind the cord and pull it into a neat coil. The fabric collapses without the taut support, and once I've rolled that up along with my bedding, I strap it to my back alongside my bag.

I move to pull the stakes from the earth, only to find that Loki has already done so. He shoves the pile towards me, and I reluctantly take it, placing them into my enchanted traveling pack and tying it up neatly.

"Alright, let's go."

It doesn't take long for the heat to get to me. It isn't as blistering as it could be for this time of year, but it certainly isn't pleasant, and there is sweat beading on my forehead almost as soon as we start walking. After an hour or so, even Loki is having trouble pretending to be unaffected.

"Water break?" I offer, knowing his pride is too great to suggest stopping himself. Looking annoyed at having his needs read like a book, he nods, and we take a brief rest beneath the shade of a nearby oak.

Grabbing my canteen from my bag, I unscrew the lid and set it to the side. Closing my eyes, I breathe deeply and concentrate on reaching tendrils of my magic out.

The tendrils grasp the water droplets in the air and pull them into solidity. Once I concentrate, they come together to form a mass of water and I funnel it into the canteen, only opening my eyes when I hear the satisfying splash.

I'm slightly dizzy from the exertion, so because of that - and just to be annoying - I take a swig first, letting the cool water refresh me before handing it over to him. He guzzles a good amount of it, no doubt hoping to be annoying as well, but is considerate enough to leave some for later in our journey.

After a few minutes of enjoying the shade, we get to our feet and continue on.

He was right about the travel time; three to four hours pass till a town comes into view, and when it does, I breathe a heavy sigh of relief and walk with renewed vigor. As we approach the gates, armed guards fall into rank before us, blocking our path.

"State your business," the one in the front says. He seems to be the captain.

"My name is Y/F/N Y/L/N," I state. "Former apprentice of Asra Alnazar."

Loki raises his eyebrows, as he is unfamiliar with Asra's name, but the guards seem to recognize it. The captain dips his head in recognition. "Welcome. And who is your companion?"

"My half brother, Norren," I reply without missing a beat. "We are here on orders from Nadia Satrinava."

Without another word, they step aside, allowing us to pass. I stride forward purposefully, maintaining the mask of mysterious magician. It's served me well in the past.

As soon as the option is available, Loki grabs my wrist and pulls me into a side alley. "Who is Nadia Satrinava?" he demands.

I meet his angry gaze with a cool fire of my own. "She is the woman who sent me to hunt you down."

"Is that so," he breathes. "And what of this Asra, whose apprentice you supposedly are?"

"I'm not _supposedly_ his apprentice, I _am_ his apprentice," I correct, using a calm voice that I know will infuriate him. "At least, I was. He was my mentor for many years. He taught me everything I know about magic."

"That's not noteworthy at _all_," Loki mutters, rolling his eyes. "Anything else you're withholding from me?"

"Only that I will place a swift and accurate kick between your legs if you don't let go of me right now," I say sweetly. His nostrils flare, but he loosens his fingers, and I forcefully tug my wrist out of his grasp. "Anyway, we should find somewhere to stay, at least for the rest of today and tonight."

He nods his agreement, so we exit the alley and search the town for an inn.

It doesn't take long; he soon spots a building called The Moonlit Feather Inn and gestures wordlessly to it, which is how we end up booking a room for the night.

Thankfully, when we reach the room, I see that there are two beds with sufficient distance between them. Loki strikes me as an unashamed blanket hogger/off-the-bed-you-go kicker.

I set my things down beside the bed closest to the door. "Alright, you stay here. I'm going to go restock my supplies in the marketplace."

"Stay here?" he repeats, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes, that's what I said, isn't it? Come now, Loki, surely even you understand simple commands?"

"I heard you just fine," he snarls, and I smirk, knowing that I've gotten under his skin. "But if you think I'm letting you out of my sight, you're sorely mistaken. Lest you forget, I don't trust you. How am I to know you won't just run off?"

"Lest _you_ forget, it was _my_ coin that paid for this room," I say tartly. "But if you insist, you can tag along. Just keep your mouth shut. You're more tolerable that way."

Before he can reply, I grab my pack and storm into the joined bathroom, closing the door behind me and locking it.

I shove all thoughts of my annoying companion aside and focus on the task at hand. My pack is enchanted to have more carrying room than normal, so I have all sorts of things stuffed inside. It takes a bit of rummaging around, but after a few moments, I dig out my magician's robes.

They're similar to Asra's usual outfit in their color: some white, some sunset orange, a touch of deep maroon, a bit of red. They're sleeveless for better mobility and they flow down to mid calf.

I pull them on, letting the familiar fabric settle over my skin. I forgot how comfortable it was to wear these; I usually prefer to travel unidentified, but this might afford us freer passage and less questioning.

When I step out of the bathroom, Loki turns to me and raises his eyebrows, the surprise clear on his face. "You ... " He immediately scowls. "What are those supposed to be?"

Rolling my eyes at his defensive coping mechanisms, I reply, "They're my magician's robes. Don't worry, you shouldn't concern yourself with things you don't understand."

He growls in what I'm sure is meant to be a threatening manner, but I turn away from him, kneeling down to pick up my bag. "Come on, let's go."

We make our way out of the inn and head towards the marketplace. You can tell it's the marketplace because of the hub of voices and the merchants hawking their wares to passersby.

Despite the fact that he asked to come along, Loki is more annoying than ever. He seems to have something to say about every single stall, and it's nothing good. It's always "that necklace looks cheaper than the dirt on my boots" or "smells like peasant" and other varieties of ridiculous insults. It makes it difficult to keep from snapping at him, but I manage; I don't want to draw any attention to us.

I buy more food and a new cloak, as well as some thick wool cloths to serve as blankets. I also buy a simple golden ring and store it in my pocket for later.

"It's a beautiful day," I comment. "We should relax for a bit."

"We're here to get supplies, not for leisure," Loki sneers. "I fail to see the logical value of sitting around and doing nothing."

"Haven't you ever heard of a break?" I sigh. "It's this thing you take when you've been hunting a literal god for weeks and you suddenly find out the deities you worship are out to get you."

Without waiting for his argument, I find the nearest patch of grass and sprawl out, letting my muscles relax at last.

He grumbles the entire time, which admittedly kind of defeats the purpose of taking a break in the first place, but that's alright. I close my eyes and block out his mutterings, allowing the sun to wash over my skin. I become aware of the many blades of grass tickling my skin, the fresh air I inhale with every breath, the firm ground pressing steadily against my back.

If only I had better company to share this with.

When I open my eyes, I see him giving me a strange look, and my lips curl upward in a smile. "What?"

"I've never met someone who ... " He seems to be struggling to find the words. " ... finds happiness in the simplest of things. How can you honestly see the good in any of this?"

I sit up, smoothing my hair out of my face. "Well, when there are people like you in the world, I'll take all the happiness I can get."

Rolling his eyes, he gets to his feet. "Well, if you're quite done with this ridiculous foolishness, we should return to the inn. It's surprising enough that I haven't been recognized yet."

That's a fair point. Suddenly becoming paranoid, I glance around, sweeping the crowd with shrewd eyes. Did that merchant just look at us the wrong way? Or is he just trying to judge if we're susceptible to his advertisements? Is that woman across the street watching us, or is she observing the children playing a few feet away?

"Yeah," I agree, trying not to sound too nervous. "Let's head back."

I walk quickly, resisting the strong urge to look over my shoulder as we go. Loki has no problem keeping up with my brisk pace, and surprisingly, even he looks a bit concerned.

I've spent most of my life being the hunter, the thing to be running from. I guess I can't imagine being the one who is hunted.

I don't know what to make of all this. Over the past twenty four hours, I've had plenty of time to observe him and all his mannerisms, and I keep coming back to this one thought: _He doesn't_ look _like a man who murdered his father._

Granted, I'm sure he has an excellent poker face, but ... I don't know. I've seen hundreds of variations of guilt over the years, and he isn't displaying any of them. Is there a chance that he's actually innocent?

I snap out of my thoughts as we reach the inn, quickening my steps even more as we head to our room.

When we reach it, I realize our peaceful outing was too good to be true.

The door has been kicked in; it swings on its hinges with eerie creaks, and as we approach with caution, I see the rest of the problem.

Our room has been completely trashed. The mattresses have been ripped to shreds. The desk is practically in splinters. The mirror against the far wall has been absolutely shattered, tiny pieces of glass strewn over the hardwood floor.

"Are you kidding me?" I mutter, picking my way carefully through the room. "Who the hell did this?"

I turn back to glance at Loki, who has slightly made his way into the room, when I see a flash of movement behind him. "Loki!" I yell, knowing I don't have enough time to explain.

Luckily, his godly instincts kick in. He drops low to the ground, and a blade sweeps above him, right where his head would have been. A figure swathed in black stands behind him, rearing back for another swing.

I don't give him a chance. Just as Loki is brandishing daggers that came out of nowhere, I fire a stunning bolt over his back that strikes our assailant in the face, sending them reeling and crashing down.

"Dear gods, woman," Loki grumbles. "How did you know you weren't going to hit me?"

"I didn't," I say breathlessly, heading towards the fallen attacker.

"How are we supposed to get information out of him when he's dead?" he presses.

"Him _or_ her," I point out. "And relax, it was just a knockout spell. I'm not an idiot."

Reaching down, I pull the cloth hood off of the unconscious person.

"I ... You've got to be KIDDING ME!" I exclaim.

"What?" Loki demands. "Do you know this man?"

Do I know him? Well, let's see ... Puffy white hair. Sun kissed skin. Long eyelashes. Fluttering eyelids that conceal beautiful lavender eyes.

This is Asra, my mentor, and apparently, he's a much bigger idiot than I thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I'm being fully honest, I have no idea where I'm going with this fanfic, but hey! It's a start, right?


End file.
